Romance Takes Times. And Planning Ahead

Romance isn’t always spontaneous, despite how it might seem in romance movies. In real life, you have to make plans to make romance happen. It’s not that difficult (unless you want a crowd singing and dancing to your loved ones like in a musical), but it takes work and planning. Here are a few things you should plan ahead. This is especially true for days like Valentine’s.

• Make reservations at the restaurant. You don’t want to arrive only to find that your favorite restaurant has a wait of a few hours. This is especially important on Friday and Saturday evening and on holidays.

• Order your flowers early. Roses may sell out for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Poinsettias become harder to find the closer it gets to Christmas. Remember, even the best-stocked florist doesn’t have an infinite supply of flowers.

• Make sure you both know the overall plan for the date. She needs to know where to meet you or what time you’re picking her up. She also needs to know what to wear. If you’re going someplace formal, don’t assume she will be dressed up unless you tell her to.

• Don’t wait until the last minute to get tickets to that event you want to go to. It may be sold out.

• If you think the date may end at your place, be sure to clean up beforehand. Nothing kills the mood faster than walking into a dump that smells like last week’s laundry.